


Where Dreams May Take You

by magician



Series: Irreconcilable Differences [2]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Bingo, Bingo Card Challenge, Challenge Response, Developing Relationship, F/F, M/M, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:31:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magician/pseuds/magician
Summary: Sentinels and their visions -- what's a Guide to do?





	Where Dreams May Take You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo Challenge for the prompt "dreams". This is in the same universe as ["Irreconcilable Differences" ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13589448%20) and takes place a few months after that story. Thanks to everyone who said they wanted more; I hope it suits.

"Blair, can I talk with you?"  
  
Blair Sandburg was sitting at his desk in the Major Crime Division bullpen of the Cascade PD. Ever since he made the commitment to be Jim Ellison's official Guide, he'd been given full-access credentials and a desk next to Jim's. Everyone in the MCD, including Captain Simon Banks, was happy Jim had found someone compatible. Jim and his last Guide, Cassie Welles, had blended together like oil and water.  
  
So, it was with some surprise that Blair looked up to find Cassie standing in front of him with a worried look on her face. "Cassie! How wonderful to see you. How are things working out for you and Debra?"  
  
After her breakup with Jim, Cassie had been paired with Debra Reeves from the Cascade Fire Department. Rumor had it that they were getting along very well. "Things are wonderful between us; I've never been so happy. But something strange has happened and I just don't know who to talk to about it. Do you have the time?"  
  
"Of course. Anything I can do to help you or Debra. Do you want to go to the break room… no, let's go grab some coffee. I know a great place on Market Street. We'll take my car." He scribbled a note to Jim, letting him know when he'd be back. They headed for the elevators.  
  

*****

  
After they placed their orders, Cassie said, "I don't know if you know this, but Debra is adopted."  
  
"No, I didn't. So that means she doesn't know where her sentinel genes come from?"  
  
"No. Her birth mother was French. The Reeves were desperate to have children, but they couldn't. Her father was in the military and he had connections with Immigration. They found her in an orphanage in Marseilles. Since her adoptive mother is half-French, having a healthy French baby was just icing on the cake. When she was old enough to understand, they told her what they knew of her background."  
  
"Wow, I had no idea. She seems pretty satisfied with her life, even if she is a little intense."  
  
Cassie smiled. "I'm not sure that has as much to do with her adoptive status as with her sentinel genetics."  
  
Blair laughed, "That's probably true. So--"  
  
He was interrupted by the arrival of their food. Once the server left, Cassie continued. "We've decided to bond."  
  
"Oh, Cassie, how wonderful. Congratulations."  
  
"Thanks. Anyway, we thought we would take a nice trip, you know to commemorate it. We took a couple of weeks off and went to Europe. As you can imagine, Debra wanted to focus on France, kind of get a feel for her people.  
  
"What she didn't tell me is that she's been communicating with another sentinel. Deb only has two senses that are very strong, with the other three better than average. She wanted to develop them. This other sentinel gave her a formula for an herb brew that has been used by sentinels to sharpen their senses. She'd been taking small doses. I don't know whether they messed with her system, but when we got to Paris, she started having very strange dreams."  
  
"What kind of dreams?" Blair asked. He tried to keep his tone neutral; he didn't want to worry Cassie with his concern over these untested substances. Without a lab analysis, it could be anything, even a psychedelic.  
  
"They're all more or less the same, just variations. She's walking across a flat plain, the ground is red clay like you find in the Southwest. She comes across a huge stone building. The walls are rounded and smoothed with plaster. No one is around, but she can hear drumming. She approaches the entrance, but something stops her as she tries to enter. She walks around and finds another large building, and then another that isn't finished. At each one she starts to enter but something prevents it. Finally, away from the complex, she sees a smaller building. She can feel that this is the right one; almost like it's calling to her. She approaches it and then she wakes up."  
  
"Whoa, what an amazing dream."  
  
"But I don't think it's a normal dream. For one thing, she's starting to see bits of it when she's awake. And she's drawing pictures of it. Almost obsessively, like in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', you know? She's stopped taking the herbs, but it seems like something got switched on in her brain."  
  
Blair looked at her, even while he formulated a theory. "What do you think it is?"  
  
"Growing up, I heard rumors about how some sentinels had a spiritual connection. Perhaps because their sixth sense gets developed along with their other senses."  
  
Blair nodded. "My mom said that, too. But, why did you come to me?"  
  
"Because the Sentinel/Guide Institute is little more than a dating service. They don't have any records or even any anecdotal information on this. I thought, as an anthropologist as well as a guide, you might have come across something."  
  
"Jim said that he had visions when he lived with the Chopec tribe during his time in the Army. He described a warrior standing on what looked like a step pyramid, but it was in a jungle, not someplace arid." He raised his hand to stop Cassie, who was about to speak. "If you're going to ask why he never mentioned it when he was with you, he didn't remember it. We figured he suppressed that part of his life because there was a fair amount of trauma during the mission. He only remembered it after he started meditating to help him recall a case-related memory. Jim also said the vision was shaded in blue."  
  
"Wow, so do you think Deb is having visions because she's a sentinel?"  
  
Blair shrugged. "It's possible. Not knowing why they happen or what triggers them, it's hard to say. I just think it can't be a coincidence that they both had visions and they're both sentinels. There could be other sentinels out there having visions. But, as you found out, the Sentinel/Guide Institute is worthless as a resource."  
  
Cassie huffed in frustration and nodded. "I need to know, Blair. I need to take care of my sentinel."  
  
Blair looked at his untouched meal and signaled for the server to bring them boxes and a bill. "Listen, I still work at Rainier, and they've got tremendous resources. If they don't have anything on site, I can research other libraries, world-wide if I need to." Blair boxed up his meal and pulled out cash to pay for lunch. "Do you have any of the drawings Debra made? It might help me figure out if she's seeing an actual building. We discovered there was a temple in Mexico that seemed devoted to sentinels. So, she might have been seeing something similar."  
  
Cassie pulled out her purse and removed a folded-up piece of paper. "Here's the most complete one. Whatever you can do…"  
  
They stood up and hugged. "Don't worry," Blair said. "We'll find it." With that he paid the bill and they went back to the station.

 

*****

  
Blair dropped Cassie at her car, then called and left a message with Rhonda to say he was going to the University for the rest of the day. He decided to go directly to Rainier's library, making a beeline to the anthropology section, starting with anything that looked sentinel-related. He signed onto the system and started a couple of likely searches. He checked out a stack of books, then headed home.  
  
Jim walked in the door, noticing that Blair didn't greet him with his usual enthusiasm. In fact, Blair's nose was buried in a large book. "Hey, Chief, whatcha looking at that's more interesting than me?" he joked.  
  
Blair looked up and smiled. "Nothing's more interesting than you, man. I just got involved in some heavy research and didn’t hear you come in. How was your day?"  
  
"Boring. Met with the D.A. to go over testimony on two cases that go to trial next week. Simon wanted a run down on all our current cases and then I spent the afternoon catching up on paperwork." He glanced sideways at Blair. "It would have gone a lot easier if you were there."  
  
"Aw, are you saying you missed me? And I thought you only kept me around for my good looks."  
  
Jim gave him the finger and Blair laughed. "Anything in the fridge to eat?" Jim asked, going to the kitchen. "I’m starving."  
  
"Yeah, I roasted a turkey breast last night. There's the bread you like from Langer's deli and some tomatoes and lettuce from the farmer's market. Make me one while you're at it?" Jim grunted an assent.  
  
He watched as Jim maneuvered around his small kitchen. Although they were compatible as sentinel and guide, Blair insisted on keeping his own place for the time being. For one thing, he loved the cottage he was renting. It was right on the ocean and he enjoyed walking along the shore and playing pickup games of beach volleyball. And Jim seemed to like it here. The sounds of the sea were a balm on his senses, acting like a natural white noise generator. His board and beach clothes were in the front closet, ready for when he wanted to do a little surfing.  
  
Equally, Blair loved spending time with Jim at his loft. It was bigger and, in some ways, quieter and more contained. He found it easy to study, grade papers and read without the distractions of the beach scene. But although he felt Jim might be "the one", he wanted a longer courtship, needing to make sure this was the man with whom he could spend the rest of his life. After all, they'd both lived on their own most of their lives and were set in their ways. It would take a lot of work to make a go of it.  
  
Jim brought two plates over to the living room table, shoving the pile of books to one side so he could put them down. Then he went back to the kitchen for two beers. He sat down on the sofa and took a big bite of his sandwich and groaned. "The turkey's perfect."  
  
Blair put down his book and took his own bite. "Mm, just the right amount of mayo--and you added pickles. This tastes great!"  
  
"So," Jim said as he took a swig of beer, "What're you working on?"  
  
Blair caught the slightest edge to Jim's question, something he thought he detected earlier, but this confirmed it. "Some research for Cassie."  
  
"She must have switched her perfume."  
  
"You know quite well that guides don't wear perfume and tend to use unscented products as well. I expect you smelled her on me as soon as you walked in the door. So, what's with the cat and mouse gig?"  
  
Jim winced. "Sorry, I guess catching her scent set off some bad feelings."  
  
"I accept your apology. Work on that, would you? I'm committed to being your guide but we've got to get this personal crap settled if we want to go further. Okay?" Jim nodded. "Let's finish eating and then I want to talk to you about this."  
  

*****

  
Jim looked at the drawing, but it meant nothing to him. He reiterated that his visions always took place in a jungle at what they now knew was the Temple of the Sentinels in Mexico. He was always greeted either by an indigenous warrior or confronted by himself in his Army camouflage.  
  
"Do you think it's a real sentinel vision, Chief?" Jim asked.  
  
Blair shook his head. "I don't know, but shamanic rituals have included drugs for millennia. Who knows? Perhaps shamans were chosen _because_ they had enhanced sensory input. When I've questioned tribes about their hierarchies, it's always shrouded in mystery. They're friendly enough, but they're pretty closed-mouthed. You can understand why when you realize having that knowledge may be the only advantage a tribe has.  
  
"In any case, I don't think I'm going to get anywhere until I find out whether this is an actual place, like the Temple in Mexico. I'm going to continue to search on my own, but I might consult Eli Stoddard. Before he headed the Institute, he was a renown anthropologist who headed any number of expeditions. He might know something that can help me connect the dots." Blair sent a look of apology to Jim. "I'm afraid you'll have to do more of the paperwork yourself. I need time to research and spending time at Rainier is my best bet. But I'll definitely be available when you need me in the field."  
  
Jim nodded. Although he didn't like sharing Blair, he knew this was important. Anything Blair learned about sentinels could end up helping him. He'd already proved the worth of having a lot of obscure knowledge--his contributions had helped solve a couple of cases during the short time they'd been working together. "Do what you can for her. Just keep your phone charged so I can get hold of you."  
  
Blair smiled. "Will do… and thanks for understanding."  
  
They spent the rest of the night together--Jim reading the latest Clive Cussler novel; Blair with his nose back in the anthropology book.  
  

*****

  
It took a visit to Eli and a week of research to find the site of Debra's vision. Because there had been no people for her to describe, they had to rely on the building's features in her drawing and her description of a cluster of large buildings. Eli thought it might be either Middle Eastern or Mediterranean. Blair finally found what he was sure was the site: the Ġgantija temples in the Maltese Islands, just south of Sicily. They were ancient; older than the Giza Pyramids or Stonehenge.  
  
He found a computer program that would let him create an overlay on a picture of the ruins, in effect, showing how it must have looked at its height 5000 years previously.  
  

*****

  
He visited Debra and Cassie at their apartment. When he showed the mock-up to Debra, she gasped and nodded. "That's it! Oh, yes, those are the buildings in my dreams. But not the smaller one I'm always about to enter when I wake up. But why am I dreaming this? What does it mean?"  
  
Blair said, "I don't know. I'm still figuring that out, but I have a theory. I just needed to know whether this was your vision." She nodded enthusiastically. "Well, the temples are on Gozo in Malta, which is a small island nation in Europe. We know almost nothing about visions or vision quests, especially when it comes to sentinels. I thought at first it might have been calling to you because you're French and this is in Europe. But that didn't make sense, because Jim's visions always put him somewhere in Central or South America, and his genetics are also European.  
  
"Then I thought it might be proximity. If ancient sentinels were 'called' for some reason, they had to be able to get there. So, they'd have visions that would lead them to the nearest calling spot."  
  
"But why didn't I get called to the same temple as Jim, since we both live here?" Debra asked.  
  
"Because the drugs you took turned up your sensory perception while we were in France?" Cassie asked in sudden inspiration.  
  
"Bingo," Blair said, nodding. "That's what I think did it. It's the only thing I could think of that made sense with what little knowledge we've got."  
  
"Okay," Debra said, "But what is it calling me to do?"  
  
Blair sighed. "I don't know. Researchers believe the Ġgantija Temples were used for fertility rites, based on statuary found there. There's evidence of animal sacrifices and places for fires and liquid offerings. Since in your vision you avoid the main complex and go to a smaller temple, I'd guess that sentinels might have gathered there to strengthen their genetic lines by mating, but understand that it's only a theory."  
  
Debra looked alarmed. "So, what, I supposed to find another sentinel and have his baby to further the line?"  
  
Blair held up his hands, "No, no, that's not at all what I'm implying. First of all, it might be a sentinel thing, or it might be some other explanation of why you've developed the ability to have visions. Second, your visions are probably from some ancient sense memory handed down through millennia. You can't even equate what you know and do now with what they did then."  
  
"So, I ignore it?"  
  
"You can if you choose. I'd say let your intuition guide you. If the visions get stronger or if you get a clearer message, it might mean you should explore it further. Maybe once the drug is completely out of your system the visions will fade and you can forget about it. Or, if you want to pursue the visions, you could try the drug again in a controlled manner. Just remember that as a sentinel your drug sensitivities and side effects are greater than the average person." Blair shrugged. "Or you could take your next vacation to Malta. Walk around the site and see if it affects you. You're master of your own fate, Deb."  
  
Debra still looked a little shell-shocked, but she gave him a tentative smile and stood up. "Thank you, Blair, so much," she said, giving him a hug. "I truly thought I was going crazy, and I know I worried Cassie. But going through this has been… amazing."  
  
"You're welcome," Blair said. "And I'll keep on the lookout for more information on sentinel mythology. There's bound to be other sentinels out there having visions who can help you understand yours better."  
  
Cassie came over to hug him as well. "Thanks, Blair. I know we both feel better having more knowledge. You're a great researcher and a good friend."  
  
Blair smiled at them both. "And you two are a good fit. Have you had your bonding ceremony yet?"  
  
The women looked at each other, both blushing a little. "Not yet," Debra answered. "When this started, I wanted to hold off. You know, in case I was going crazy. I didn't want to saddle Cassie with a nutcase."  
  
Cassie rolled her eyes. "As if I could leave you." She looked at Blair. "We'll let you know when we've set the date." They hugged each other once more, then Blair left.  
  

*****

  
Jim was cutting up vegetables for a salad at his place, when Blair showed up. "How'd it go?" Jim asked.  
  
"Pretty well," Blair answered as he snatched a carrot slice and started munching. "I was right; it _was_ the Gozo temple. Debra was a little freaked at first, but she was pretty chipper by the time I left." He grinned. "They might be honeymooning in Malta this spring."  
  
"Better weather?"  
  
"Uh-huh, and the Equinox. Looks like it was an important time of year for Neolithic rituals."  
  
Jim pulled an eggplant parmigiano out of the oven, bubbling hot and gooey with cheese. "And what about _our_ rituals?" he asked, a little tentatively.  
  
Blair smiled. "Our courtship rituals are right on track. I can show you how well we're doing after dinner," he said, coming around the counter to give Jim a kiss. "We don't have to go as far as Malta, but what about a trip up to BC? I'd love to see Butchart Gardens."  
  
"It's a little nippy this time of year, don't you think?"  
  
Blair raised his hand and twisted it in a "so-so" gesture. "Maybe. If it's too cold for your sensibilities, we could find something to do indoors." Jim smiled that special smile he kept just for Blair. "Then it's settled," Blair said with a grin. "Now, let's eat."  


 

~~the end~~

**Author's Note:**

> "You never know where dreams may take you. So follow with an open mind, a loving heart, and see the destiny that awaits." ~~Unknown


End file.
